So Microsoft is running a new promotion. It's called the "Halo 4 Combat Tour," and its purpose is to encourage you to play lots of Halo and buy lots of Halo-related things.

"The more you do, the more you get," Microsoft says. They'll give you Microsoft Points—Xbox Live's confusing digital currency—if you play an excessive amount of Halo 4 during the month of November.

Play 35+ hours and you'll get 100 points. Play 70+ hours and you'll get 300 points. Play 140+ hours and you'll get 600 points. This doesn't appear to be cumulative, as the page says you can earn "up to 800 Microsoft Points." (600 by playing a lot of Halo, and up to 200 by buying things.)

In real money, 800 Microsoft points is $10, and 600 would be something like $7.50. So if you play 140+ hours of Halo 4 in November—that is, roughly six hours a day for the next 24 days—you'll earn $7.50.

Seven dollars and fifty cents.

$0.05 an hour.

If you play this game online for 140 hours out of the 576 hours between November 6, Halo 4's release date, and the end of November, you will win yourself $7.50. If you spend 24% of the month playing Halo 4 online, Microsoft will reward you with seven dollars and fifty cents.

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You know, Microsoft, between this and the $0.25 birthday giveaways, it's starting to feel like you guys don't quite get it.